Shōtoku
Shōtoku (聖徳, Shōtoku) is a samurai warlord currently leading an army in his conquest of the Land of Old, vying to become its supreme ruler. He is known as one of the three Senka (戦火, horrors of war) of the Land of Old's Hundred Years' War, immensely powerful samurai trained to end the country's endless conflict. With Nene currently in hiding and Umetarō wandering the land aimlessly and brutally, Shōtoku seems to be the only one of the three aiming to achieve their given destiny. His brutal methods, however, have earned him quite a bad reputation among both his opponents and some of his allies. In combination with him being a foreigner, this has caused many to seem him as an outside invader. He is generally referred to as Lord Sōsō (曹操殿; Sōsō-dono) by both his followers and enemies, as Shōtoku is a name only those closest to him know him by. Once a of Sunagakure, Shōtoku traveled to the Land of Old to seek out his true heritage after finding out his father was a samurai from the Yōmei Clan on his deathbed. Upon arriving on the continent, he was greeted by Masamune, the legendary Komonto swordsmith. Masamune took Shōtoku under his tutelage, announcing to him that it was his destiny to end the Land of Old's century-old war and unify it once more. For 11 years, Shōtoku trained under Masamune, learning koryū alongside Nene, Masamune's adopted daughter. Having mastered the highest echelons of koryū, Shōtoku declared himself the Kensei (剣聖, Sword Saint), a prophetical figure in samurai folklore who would unite the samurai and restore them to their former glory. He forged an alliance with the Mekki Clan to lead them into victory under his banner and started his conquest of the Land of Old, together with Nene. After 2 years of sweeping the country and conquering different clans however, he and Nene had a violent confrontation over Shōtoku's treatment over a defeated clan, and she deserted his cause. Currently, another 2 years later, Shōtoku is still continuing his campaign, having conquered 7 of the 12 warring clans. Appearance Shōtoku's most recognizable feature - self-praised and loathed by others - is easily his golden hair. He inherited these from his mother, who was famous in her youth for them as well, though probably in a more universally positive spirit than Shōtoku. Completing this are his dark-brown, almost reddish eyes and his thin-lipped mouth, which seems to have been plastered into an arrogant smile since birth. Shōtoku's facial features and general build are quite sharp, aggressive and lean to the point that one might even call them handsome, but generally the only one who does this is Shōtoku himself - others know better than to love his narcissism. Underneath his garment Shōtoku's bears numerable scars both from battle and training, often inflicted through his own actions. Shōtoku had always taken great pride in the clothes he wears, even during his youth. While in the Land of Wind he wore a black cloak lined with golden wavy patterns at the sleeves and bottom, with underneath it a white training uniform that once belonged to his father when he was still training in the land of Old. Tying all this together is a simple white belt, which also served to hold up his katana. Personality History Early Years Arriving in the Land of Old Training under Masamune Conquering the Land of Old Mekki Alliance Breaking With Nene Synopsis Equipment Sugari no Ontachi (須賀利御太刀; Lit. Honorable Long Sword Profiting by Any Means) Given to him by Masamune, Sugari no Ontachi bears the likeliness of swords used in the ceremonies of Abe no Seimei and his onmyōdō. The guard of the sword is marked with intricate gold decorations and beads, with the bottom being marked with a pentagram. Like all swords forged by Masamune, Sugari no Ontachi was forged out of a metaphysical concept, in its case the idea that the ends justify the means. In battle, this means that Sugari no Ontachi will overcome any opponent or obstacle as long as it serves Shōtoku's goals, being his conquest. Masamune commented that Sugari no Ontachi is a hashatō (覇者刀), meaning either the blade of a 'conqueror' or 'supreme ruler'. Though it is implied he meant the former, Shōtoku took it to mean the latter. *'Nantoshitemo' (何としても, "by any means necessary, at all costs"): Should its wielder ever be defeated while trying to attain their goal, Sugari no Ontachi will seek to remedy this problem no matter what it takes. In an effort to draw energy itself, this can even mean killing nearby living creatures and destroying surroundings. After Shōtoku was so viciously struck down by Nene during her desertion, Sugari no Ontachi's efforts to advance his goals nearly lead to his own death. This function also entails that Sugari no Ontachi and its wielder grow stronger with every encounter and especially with every loss, meaning that the best chance at victory is always upon the first confrontation with Shōtoku. Abilities : Enhanced Strength: Immense Speed: Immense Growth Rate: : Successful Poet: Koryū Spiritual Swordsmanship: Maai control: Tachi-dori: Techniques Samurai Sabre Technique: *'Flash:' *'Rupture:' Iizasa-ryū: *'Iizasa: New Sword' (飯篠:新刀, Iizasa: Shintō): Nenami-ryū: *'Dancing Blade Risk:' Shinmyōroku-ryū *'Sangyōsho' (三経義処, Righteous Sentences of the Three Sutras): **'Hokke Gisho' (法華義処, Sentence of the Lotus Sutra) **'Shōmangyō Gisho' (勝鬘経義処, Sentence of the Lion's Roar Sutra) **'Yuimagyō Gisho' (維摩経義処, Sentence of the Taintless Fame Sutra) Trivia *The names of the Sangyōsho techniques come from the Sangyōsho, annotated commentaries written by Prince Shōtoku on three important Buddhist sutras. The kanji for 'annotated commentary' (義疏, gisho) was replaced by the homophone 'righteous sentence' (義処, gisho). References